Taumalolo’s new mindset puts fun back in footy

COWBOYS wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo says he's finally enjoying his football again after admitting he was "stuck in my own head" during North Queensland's five-game slump.

The mood has been much more jovial at training this week after the Cowboys got their season back on track with a 24-16 win over the Titans, with players even warming up with a game of dodgeball on Monday afternoon.

Taumalolo was back at his destructive best against the Titans, running for a game-high 151m, but he conceded it hasn't been easy to keep himself in the right headspace over the early rounds.

The Tongan superstar was critical of his own form during their rough patch, despite still averaging 155m per game, before he realised the only way to rediscover his mojo was to stop overthinking it.

"The more I thought about it, the more it got to me. It was just all about going back to the basics and just enjoying playing footy," Taumalolo said.

"For me to be stuck in my own head and losing a bit of confidence in myself obviously doesn't help the rest of the boys either.